Warring with Wolves

"I've been known to find my kind of people that ain't at home underneath church steeples. You'd be surprised the places I find Jesus that ain't the regular crowd. I've been down and out. I'm better with the lost than the found. My solid ground is better with the lost than the found." -Jelly Roll

"Your servant used to keep sheep for his father.  And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth.  And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him." -David

"Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves." -Jesus

"He who spares the wolf sacrifices the sheep." -Unknown, probably Jesus in John 10

In Mr. Ritzema's rules for life, rule number one is "The most dangerous people in the world appear attractive on the surface."  It's a rule I had to learn the hard way when a smiling and gifted pastor tried to "protect me".  After swallowing some lies about God, I found myself thinking about ending my life.  I wish it was a lesson I only had to learn once, but God saw fit for me to experience it twice.  Apparently I hadn't learned my lesson the first time. 

Considering that I am a student of the Bible and a struggling follower of Jesus, I suppose I should have known better.  Jesus Himself said "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" and "I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."  Paul would later say the same.  "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock."

The thing about Matthew 7:15 is that the translation is likely "in garments of sheep".  What that indicates is that the most ravenous and fierce of wolves dress themselves in garments of sheep.  Oh. I see. "They" fleece the sheep to cover themselves.  I get it now.  Pedophile priests come to mind.  Pastors caught in bed with another woman come to mind.  Porn addicted youth pastors come to mind.  Controlling and shaming mothers come to mind.  The Grimm Brothers knew that too many controlling mothers lock Rapunzel in a tower to protect their own power, all while using her beauty to climb to the top.  Yikes.  

The weekly stories of bruised and crying lambs weary me, but the cries and bruises don't seem to bother the spiritual leaders who continue to accuse and abuse.  Taking a trip to the feet of Jesus to deal with their own sin and shame proves to be too heavy a pilgrimage for them.  They'd prefer to continue to place heavy yokes on those that are already heavy laden and in need of rest.  They load people with burdens hard to bear but do not lend so much as a finger to help move those burdens.  

One of the heaviest loads a shepherd has to carry is this: there is nothing righteous, admirable, or honorable in ignoring a wolf.  The best news you could ever give a flock of sheep is that the wolf is gone.  No...the best news would be that the wolf is dead.  Because then it isn't coming back.  Nor can it reproduce.  

It seems to me that too many shepherds today are narrowly focused on greener pastures, bigger pens, or more hired hands.  One problem: greener pastures, bigger pens, and more hired hands only make better fed wolves.  

It's unfortunate to be disappointed in modern pastors and what people look for in a pastor.  Most people look for a well educated gentle man that knows how to dress nice on Sunday morning and get them home on time.  I've sat in way too many "strategic planning sessions" with spiritual leaders. I've heard of meetings where elders get to present their findings and positions on women in office, divorce and re-marriage, or whatever other finite theological position they can find to puff themselves up. Then I get to hear stories from the sheep about how these shepherds glare at them when they accidentally take their seat of honor in the Synagogue.  

There are weeds among the wheat.  There are wolves in shepherd's clothing.  Jesus said there would be, and the amount of bleeding sheep and pathetic harvest prove it.  

How many bleeding sheep does a shepherd need to see before he grabs a force multiplier and goes wolf hunting?  It's a good question. I find myself surrounded by shepherds that either can't see wounds, don't care about wounds, don't have time for wounds, think wounds are normal, or automatically believe that the sheep always bite themselves.  The danger in doing so is that wolf-like behavior grows the more they blame the sheep and keep to themselves. The fact of the matter is that a wolf lives in each of us.  

So be on the lookout for wolves and get ready for a war.  But one thing: check for a wolf inside of you before you go looking for them elsewhere, lest you bite and devour one another.